| From the Mount of Olives we traveled a short distance by bus to Mount Zion (City of David) and to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (Cock Crowing) built over the site of Caiaphas� house, the High Priest at the time of Jesus� execution. Here we visited a basement cavern used as a holding room for prisoners during Jesus� day, and possibly the same place where Jesus had spent time. Along the side of Caiaphas� house were the original Roman steps that Jesus walked that Maundy Thursday from the Upper Room to Gethsemane and back again to Caiaphas� house as a prisoner. And so today, �we walked where Jesus walked.� From the church we had an excellent of view of the Temple Mount and of the Garden of Gethsemane (just behind the right corner of the wall). We could now visualize the journey that Christ took that last night. Next we drove to David�s Tomb and the Upper Room marking the site of the Last Supper. |
 |
 |
| We ended this amazing day at the Garden Tomb. Here in 1881, General Gordon found a tomb dating back to Roman times fitting the description described in the Bible and located near a rock formation having the appearance of a skull signifying Golgotha, the place of Christ�s crucifixion. So now, besides the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Garden Tomb is also a possible site of Christ�s burial and resurrection. Here we had communion as a group, a most special memory. In the evening we enjoyed uplifting Israeli and Arab folklore dances. |
 |
| No organized tour was originally planned for Wednesday, but about half of us decided to go with Sam, our guide, to a few other sites. After being in the city of Jerusalem for two days, it was wonderful again to be out in the countryside and to enjoy the peacefulness and beauty of the Judean Hills. The first site we visited was Emmaus (Abu Gosh) where the risen Christ appeared to two of his disciples. On this site a Crusader church, Emmaus Abu Gosh, had been built in 1180 A.D. but never finished due to the conquest in 1187 A.D. by the Moslem Turks. Today on these grounds we witnessed a sight that gave us hope for a possible brighter tomorrow. Here in a Moslem village and in a Christian church, under the care of the French Canadian Roman Catholic Fathers, Jewish soldiers had come (some carrying their guns) to learn about Christianity, and they were being sent by the Israel Ministry of Education. In this moment of contradiction, the Father said, �We all need time to trust each other,� and how true that is. |
 |
 |
| Page 12 |